adeelarshad82 writes: Google has officially unveiled the next version of Android OS, Gingerbread, via a new addition to its statuary. The statue was placed next to the statues of the preceding Android OSes, "Eclair" and "Froyo". While the new Android OS is suppose to have a number of new features; according to a recent interview with Andy Rubin the OS will probably target more forms of communications like social media, faster and more robust platform and possibly the reinvention of casual gaming. That said, analyst are putting together their own list of things they want to see with the new OS which unsurprisingly includes tablets from Google.

digitaldc writes: Melinda Gates on Apple products:
"Q: Do you have an iPad?
A: Of course not.
Q: Is it true that Bill works on an Apple laptop?
A:False. Nothing crosses the threshold of our doorstep.
Q: Isn’t there room in this world for both Apple and Microsoft?
A: Microsoft certainly makes products for the Macintosh. Go talk to Bill.

An anonymous reader writes: Admit it. You don't read the EULAs on software or the terms of service on websites you go to. No one does. It turns out that includes the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Roberts who admits that "it is a problem." Makes you wonder if he'd consider them enforceable contracts or not.

donniebaseball23 writes: In a move to counter the growth of Valve's Steam digital delivery service, which has recently passed 30 million accounts, Microsoft is launching a brand-new online storefront for PC titles, the Games for Windows Marketplace, reports IndustryGamers. The company is looking to make purchasing new and classic PC titles even easier and more intuitive with a brand-new design. The site is scheduled to launch on November 15, 2010 with a wide variety of launch titles from your favorite PC publishers and recurring special offers, like the Deal of the Week. Kevin Unangst, Microsoft's senior global director, PC and Mobile Gaming said, "By integrating with our existing Xbox LIVE and Windows Live services, we’ve made it easier than ever for millions of gamers to see for themselves how easy buying PC games can be.”

The Bad Astronomer writes: "Exoplanets orbiting binary stars have been discovered before, but NN Serpentis is a weird system even in that category. One star is a red dwarf in an incredibly tight orbit around a white dwarf. The white dwarf used to be a star like the Sun but became a red giant as it died, engulfing the red dwarf. Now the two orbit each other almost as closely as the Moon orbits the Earth. Explaining how the two newly detected exoplanets survived such an event is very difficult, and astronomers think they may have actually formed from the material expelled by the star as it died."

H3xx writes: Difficult-to-read fonts make for better learning, according to scientists.

Researchers at Princeton University employed volunteers to learn made-up information about different types of aliens — and found that those reading harder fonts recalled more when tested 15 minutes later. They argue that schools could boost results by simply changing the font used in their basic teaching materials.

The 28 volunteers in the Princeton study were given 90 seconds to try to memorize a list of seven features for three different species of alien. The idea was to re-create the kind of learning in a biology class. Aliens were chosen to be sure that none of the volunteers' prior knowledge interfered with the results.

One group was given the lists in 16-point Arial pure black font, which is generally regarded to be easy and clear to read. The other had the same information presented in either 12-point Comic Sans MS 75% greyscale font or 12-point Bodoni MT 75% greyscale.

vrmediasg writes: We all know that Apple makes computers and consumer electronic devices which are jaw-droppingly beautiful and well-designed, and the recently-launched Macbook Air is probably the best proof of that. And thanks to the guys at iFixit, it seems that Apple also had a 'extra' agenda in mind when designinLink to Original Source

redkinoko writes: After the Philippine Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Judge who was found plagiarizing off the net, the pioneering case accidentally unraveled the entire legal infrastructure covering written intellectual property in the country. It's a good time to be students again.

UnknowingFool writes: After months of speculation and waiting, HP has released some more specifics on the Slate. Despite previous speculation, it will run Windows 7 and not WebOS with an announced price of $799. Other specifications include 8.9 in screen, Intel Atom Z540 processor (1.86GHz), 2GB RAM, 64GB storage, Bluetooth, Wifi, USB port, dual cameras, and SD Card. At the moment, there is no word on additional models with built-in 3G. There is also a docking station (sold separately) that will add a HDMI port and 2 more USB ports. The Slate has a home screen button, on-screen tab, and interestingly a dedicated Alt-Ctrl-Delete button. The Slate will accept both multi-touch and pen input. The ZDNet reviewer only had 15-20 minutes with the device but did not comment on usability or performance but seemed to indicate that HP is targeting the tablet for business and not consumer use. PC World has a review and a comparison between announced and existing tablets which reports that the Slate has approximately 5 hours battery life (lowest in the group).

jerryfosterpdn writes: Direct descendants of U.S. spy satellites, private firms' birds follow orbits that travel from pole to pole every hour and a half, allowing them to pass over every spot on Earth once every three days. Essentially, they are telescopes pointed at Earth from space, swinging their view from side to side to take images requested by customers.Link to Original Source

An anonymous reader writes: Facebook users are proving themselves to be candidates for the Darwin Awards once more, as over 170,000 have clicked on a link being shared virally across the social network by a rogue application.

Messages saying "I am shocked!!! I'm NEVER texting AGAIN since I found this out. Video here: http://bit.ly/******** — Worldwide scandal!" are spreading rapidly across the system, urging users to give a rogue application permission to access to their profile in exchange for a video of a woman who allegedly died after sending a text message.
However, all they are really doing is helping the application to spread its spam messages, gaining more and more users.

An anonymous reader writes: Ars Technica has an interesting look at the recent book Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens Our Future, a collaboration between Chris Mooney, writer and author of The Republican War on Science, and scientist Sheril Kirshenbaum. While it seems the book's substance is somewhat lacking it raises an interesting point; how can science be better integrated with mainstream culture for greater understanding and acceptance? "We must all rally toward a single goal: without sacrificing the growth of knowledge or scientific innovation, we must invest in a sweeping project to make science relevant to the whole of America's citizenry. We recognize there are many heroes out there already toiling toward this end and launching promising initiatives, ranging from the Year of Science to the World Science Festival to ScienceDebate. But what we need--and currently lack--is the systematic acceptance of the idea that these actions are integral parts of the job description of scientists themselves. Not just their delegates, or surrogates, in the media or the classrooms."

hessian writes: "A Canadian court has ordered Google (GOOG) to turn over the identities of anonymous Gmail users who had accused York University faculty members of fraud and dishonesty. Like similar cases in the U.S., the York incident shows just how easy it is for courts to allow authorities to gain access to "our" personal information."